New Volvo FH wins industrial design award

The new Volvo FH has won a gong in the 2013 red dot product design awards, which honour outstanding industrial design.

This year 4,662 products were entered for the awards over 19 categories. Volvo FH won the prize for the automotive and transportation category.

Volvo Trucks design director Rikard Orell said: “We are extremely proud to win such a highly respected award from one of the largest, most distinguished design competitions in the world.

“This award symbolises several years of hard work and it is a tribute to the creativity and innovative spirit we have at Volvo Trucks.

“A great deal of emphasis was placed on the design and emotional aspect of the new FH – something that isn’t usually given high priority in commercial vehicle design. It is fantastic that the red dot jury has recognised our efforts and we are thrilled to receive this globally-recognised mark of industrial design quality.”

He continued: “When we started designing the new FH we invested a lot of effort in creating a cohesive entity, and achieving this is what I’m most proud of.

“There is no conflict between design and function – instead the two work together in perfect harmony. The new FH delivers a functional and dynamic design which provides truck drivers with the best workplace in the industry.”

More than 1,000 guests from the world of design, industry, politics and media will celebrate the red dot award winners in Germany on 1 July at Essen’s opera house, the Aalto Theatre.

The new Volvo FH will be represented at a four-week special exhibition in the red dot design museum, together with the other prize-winning products from 2-28 July 2013.

After this, the winning entries will be integrated into the permanent exhibition at the museum and displayed there for at least one year. The museum is located at the world heritage site of the Zeche Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex in Essen, and houses the largest permanent exhibition of contemporary design worldwide.

A video about the design of the new Volvo FH can be viewed below.